Environmental Improvement Fund (EIF) Environmental Loans

The Environmental Improvement Fund (EIF) is managed and administered jointly by DNR Environmental Loans (EL) and Department of Administration (DOA). EIF encompasses two environmental financing programs for local governments: the Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP), for wastewater and storm water infrastructure projects; and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP), for drinking water infrastructure projects.

View the interactive map of Wisconsin municipalities receiving funding between State Fiscal Years (SFYs) 2014 and 2017.

View the summary of total financial assistance provided to Wisconsin communities between SFYs 1991 and 2017.

Funding programs

The CWFP and SDWLP are revolving loan programs that combine federal grants and state funding to provide financial assistance to municipalities in the form of subsidized loans. Some municipalities may also be eligible for funding in the form of principal forgiveness (PF). Program implementation details are outlined in the governing administrative codes and state statutes.

Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP)

The Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) provides financial assistance to municipalities for wastewater and storm water infrastructure projects. It includes projects for compliance with a municipality's WPDES permit.

Other funding programs

Pilot Projects Program [PDF] provides subsidy to municipalities seeking to fund adaptive management projects, water quality trading projects, and other non-traditional projects (i.e., projects not related to a wastewater treatment plant upgrade) for compliance with a municipality's WPDES permit.

Small Loans Program (SLP) provides interest rate subsidy to municipalities for State Trust Fund (STF) loans from the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) used to fund DNR-approved wastewater and storm water infrastructure projects (with total estimated project costs of $2,000,000 or less). Download the SLP summary and interest rates [PDF].

State Hardship Financial Assistance Program provides subsidy for municipalities with low income and high user costs. Note: the Hardship Program will cease after the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018 funding cycle, with an exception for one (1) municipality for which a complete application for SFY 2019 funding can still be submitted by June 30, 2018.

Other funding sources

Other funding sources are available from various other partners/agencies depending on the type of project and other qualifications. Some of these sources include Focus on Energy, USDA-RD, and CDBG.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants and funding recipients, also referred to as municipalities or local governments, include: Wisconsin cities, towns, villages, counties, town sanitary districts, county utility districts, municipal water districts, metropolitan sewerage districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts, joint local water authorities (created under s. 66.0823, Wis. Stats.), and federally recognized tribes or bands in Wisconsin.

The municipal wastewater project is a necessity to stay in compliance with WPDES permits or to meet new permit requirements.

Projects constructing a new sewer system to eliminate groundwater pollution and threats to public health.

Projects that correct public water systems that violate health standards, has contamination, is not in compliance with drinking water standards, or has inadequate transmission pipes and/or storage facilities.

How to apply

In order to start the application process for an EIF loan, you need to complete these steps.

Identify and define the wastewater treatment or drinking water "problem" that needs to be corrected or prevented. This process generally involves a joint effort of the municipality, a consulting engineer, and the DNR engineer in your area.

Pre-Application - A notice of Intent to Apply (ITA) & a Priority Evaluation and Ranking Formula (PERF) must be submitted online to DNR for each project for which you will be seeking an EIF loan. The deadline for all ITAs/PERFs is October 31 for the following state fiscal year (SFY) funding cycle. All ITAs/PERFs must be submitted annually online because they will only be valid for one state fiscal year (July 1st through June 30th).

EXAMPLE: You must submit your ITA/PERF by the October 31, 2017 deadline if you're seeking funding in SFY 2019, which begins July 1, 2018 and ends June 30, 2019.

When your project score is finalized, you will receive an email directing you to the project score. Projects with scores will be put on the Project Priority List (PPL) in score order and are eligible to apply for funding.

Application - You will also be directed to more detailed information about the application process and what's next for your project if you wish to pursue funding.

Interest rates

The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) has set the market rate at 3.600% for loans with municipal bond meetings on or after January 1, 2019 through March 31, 2019, and with a final maturity of twenty years or less. Learn about the market rate and loan interest rate determination.

LOAN INTEREST RATE DETERMINATION

PERCENT OF MARKET RATE

CURRENT INTEREST RATE

CWFP
For the portion of eligible projects for receiving and storing septage, and capacity for treating septage; as well as for mercury remediation at wastewater treatment facilities.

Deadlines

Listed by deadline date

CWFP & SDWLP deadlines listed by date. Note: the Hardship Program will cease after the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018 funding cycle, with an exception for one (1) municipality for which a complete application for SFY 2019 funding can still be submitted by June 30, 2018.

DEADLINE

PROGRAM ACTIVITY

June 30

Financial Assistance Application postmark deadline for SDWLP for the upcoming state fiscal year funding cycle.

Loan closing deadline for prior year's SDWLP allocations.

Financial Assistance Application postmark deadline for Hardship Program for the upcoming state fiscal year funding cycle.

August 30

Loan closing deadline for prior year's Hardship Program allocations.

September 30

Financial Assistance Application postmark deadline for CWFP if requesting principal forgiveness (PF) for the current state fiscal year funding cycle.

October 31

Pre-Application: notice of Intent to Apply (ITA) & Priority Evaluation and Ranking Formula (PERF) online submittal deadline for both the CWFP & the SDWLP, including SFY 2018 Private Lead Service Line (LSL) Replacement Funding Program, for the following state fiscal year funding cycle.

Listed by program and type of activity

Clean Water Fund Program (including Small Loans Program and Hardship Program)

CWFP deadlines listed by type of activity. Note: the Hardship Program will cease after the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018 funding cycle, with an exception for one (1) municipality for which a complete application for SFY 2019 funding can still be submitted by June 30, 2018.

CWFP ACTIVITY

CWFP DEADLINE

Pre-Application: ITA & PERF

Submitted online by October 31 for the following state fiscal year funding cycle.

Application

Accepted year round for projects not seeking principal forgiveness (PF) or Hardship Program.

Postmarked by June 30 if requesting Hardship Program financial assistance for the upcoming state fiscal year funding cycle.

Postmarked by September 30 if requesting principal forgiveness (PF) for the current state fiscal year funding cycle.

Loan Closing

For both PF and non-PF CWFP projects, sign Financial Assistance Agreement (FAA) within eight (8) months following the date of the application acceptance notification, which is sent by the end of the state fiscal year for which the ITA/PERF is valid (i.e., sent by June 30, 2018 for projects with valid SFY 18 ITAs/PERFs).

Hardship Program Loan Closing

Sign Financial Assistance Agreement (FAA) by the August 30 following the calendar year in which funding was allocated.

Small Loans Program (SLP) Loan Closing

Sign Interest Rate Subsidy Agreement (IRSA) within eight (8) months following the date of the application acceptance notification, which is sent by the end of the state fiscal year for which the ITA/PERF is valid (i.e., sent by June 30, 2018 for projects with valid SFY 18 ITAs/PERFs).